Mortgage loan program aimed at jobless homeowners falling short

A $1 billion federal loan program designed to help 30,000 unemployed homeowners pay their mortgages will probably fall far short of its goal, adding to an expanding list of government antiforeclosure efforts that have failed to meet expectations.

This is a relatively small program and even if it worked, simply giving the distressed homeowner more debt (a loan) seems to be a pretty piss-poor method of providing relief. But it does illustrate the chronic problems with these "rescue" programs.